Fossil Forum

Over at Fossils In Millard County, Utah I've upload my latest paleontology-related page. Includes detailed text, plus photographs of fossils and on-site images, as well.

It's all about visits to two world-famous early Paleozoic fossil localities in western Utah: (1) Wheeler Amphitheater (or, Antelope Spring as many fossil aficionados prefer to refer to the rich region), where the middle Cambrian Wheeler Shale produces numerous perfect Elrathia kingii, Asaphiscus wheeleri, and Peronopsis interstricta trilobites; and (2) Fossil Mountain, where the lower Ordovician Pogonip Group yields perhaps the most diverse and abundant early Ordovician fauna in North America--preserves many species of brachiopods, ostracods, gastropods, cephalopods, pelecypods, echinoderms, trilobites, bryozoans, conodonts, graptolites, and sponges.

Ive had alot of fun in this area. We have some great looking bugs and lots of them that I put into some displays or leave in the matrix in my yard for little kids to search though.

Here are some of my tips;
No close services, this is a remote place and IS considered desert, come prepared. There is a close by spring to the U dig fossil location but call and be sure its functioning before you count on it.

The mines have nice folks who will give you some direction but let you discover generally. In the mine it is hard not to find fossils but the really nice larger ones you will have to break alot of rocks open or dig the walls.

This comes at a cost charged at time spent in the mine so how I minimize the cost is this; When I locate a good area with lots of bugs I start loading my bucket with the rocks, I take my four wheeler and will load several buckets into the truck and carefully remove the bugs later at home. This way I get lots more time finding the rocks and alot more fun at home removing them carefully or leaving them in. I have a place in my yard where I will just set out the hardest of rocks and as they weather...and they will... the bugs literally fall right out of them after a good winter. The kids and I love going out in the spring and finding more bugs...its like a spring surprise.

Worth every penny for a fun family time or serious collector. We love the remoteness and cant wait to get our family out there again. Also, Topaz Mtn is 45 min away and there are also Utah rubies out there..but they are way hard to find.

ALSO, ID like to trade a nice trilobyte for a shark tooth from the Chesapeake Bay area of Baltimore. If any of you are interested please PM me with a pic and Ill get you a pic and see if we can make it work.

In the early 1980s I live in Salt Lake City and was fortunate enough to have collected here well before the area became commercialized. I'd spend weekends camped out near Antelope Springs which was nothing more that a wet spot of earth in the desolate dry landscape. I'd bring food & water for two days, a sleeping bag, and some firewood. Ancient people used the spot too evidenced by the worked flint and agate chips laying about. It took nothing more than to walk the surrounding eroding bluffs to find loose trilobites that had eroded from the matrix. There were no posted areas, the area was wide open. In the numerous times I went there I saw one other person.